Fraternising
by yeknodelttil
Summary: SET AFTER 4x08. Not everything is as it seems and Vlad should know far better than to take everything at face value – especially concerning Erin. VLAD/ERIN COMPLETE!


**Fraternising **

_Author: yeknodelttil_

_Show: Young Dracula_

_Rating: T_

_Genre: Romance_

_Pairing: Vlad/Erin_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Young Dracula. This is purely for the enjoyment of its fans, created by a fan_

_Spoilers: Series 4._

_Summary: SET AFTER 4x08. Not everything is as it seems and Vlad should know far better than to take everything at face value – especially concerning Erin. VLAD/ERIN_

_A/N: I could have made this into a multi-chapter fic but I decided to hedge my bets and keep it as a one shot._

_I wanted to write something to cheer me up after today's. Heart wrenching but… what an episode!_

_Please let me know what you think_

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The scent of blood had lured her to the throne room, it was enrapturing but that wasn't the reason she was following it. She knew where Ingrid, Malik and the Count were and that confused her. They weren't anywhere near the throne room.

As she entered it she noticed how dark it was but with her new eyes she could see much better than she could as a breather in there.

Her eyes immediately cast on the figure huddled in front of the fire, staring into the flames as if they wished they would burst from the grill and swallow them.

She made her voice hard as she spoke, "What are you doing?"

"None of your business." He growled at her, lifting a green glass bottle to his lips and drinking deeply from it.

Her eyes widened as she realised the contents of the bottle. She never thought he would do this, "You're drinking human blood."

Vlad shook his head, dropping the bottle back down. "Why should you care? You chose your side. It's not mine." He chanced a look at her, "I'm sorry Erin…"

"Sorry isn't enough Vlad!" She shouted at him, sorry wouldn't cover becoming something she didn't want to be. Erin's eyes flashed red, "You still turned me into one of you. I told you not to. I never wanted this." She didn't want to be a prisoner to her cravings she wanted to be free.

"I told you I couldn't live without you." He told her seriously, he looked down. "I love you Erin, don't you remember any of that?"

She faltered for an instant, she softened. "I know. I'm not loyal that tells me all I need to know." Love stopped her from being loyal to him, that was precious in itself and she couldn't ignore that.

He turned to grab the bottle again, "I know you can't forgive me…" He lifted it back up to his lips and drank deeply, his throat relished the cool liquid that tasted like nectar – or course it hadn't been as exquisite as the only breather he'd ever bitten, nothing ever would.

"Forgiveness is a lot Vlad, if you hadn't have asked I might be able to take it easier." If he hadn't deliberately gone against her wishes then she might have accepted it better but she had to live with the knowledge he'd done what he'd wanted regardless.

He looked at her before pathetically explaining himself, "You were dying."

Erin shook her head, "I'm surprised Jonno agreed to it, he knew that I didn't…"

"Jonno doesn't know I bit you." He focussed on the floor, the dents in the ancient wood from overuse.

The implication of his words sank in, she blinked furiously. She'd just assumed Jonno was there as he'd been at the wedding she would've assumed that he would have come with him and been there throughout the whole ordeal.

Her anger deflated completely.

"You broke the Truce for me?" Her voice cracked as she said those words. She'd never considered the affect her biting would have outside of the clan.

Vlad had promised he'd give everything up for her before; he'd be with her and sacrifice everything he'd worked for. He'd fulfilled that promise when he'd bitten her; he'd chosen to go against all of his beliefs to save her. He'd also known the consequences – his bloodlust would spiral out of control, he'd given up soya blood for her. "I'd do it again if it meant you'd be alive."

She knew she would have to make a catty comment like 'I'm not exactly alive though am I?' but she couldn't bring herself to do that.

Erin didn't know what to say to that, she looked at the bottle in his hands. He was sloshing it around, she could smell the delicious aroma reaching her nose but she hadn't drank any blood so far – only soya. She was still vegetarian and his bite couldn't change that although she'd already been entranced by the blood. "You need to stop drinking human blood." She whispered to him, he'd been pushed to this by Adze, Ingrid, the Count, Malik and mostly her. "It's not you."

He shook his head, it was him now. He didn't have any reason to want there to be peace. "Without you it is me… It's who I'm supposed to be. Who everyone prefers."

She tapped into her strength and snatched the bottle from him and threw it into the fire. The bottle exploded as the heat boiled the blood inside it. She shielded her eyes from the fragments of glass that glistened and shot out, slicing into the floorboards.

He shot upwards, bloodlust clouding his thoughts. How dare she?

He snarled at her, his fangs lowering. "What do you care half fang? You hate me!" He roared, the entire room shaking with his anger.

Erin knew then she'd gone too far, she'd thought he'd be able to see through her but he hadn't. Everything that had happened didn't help either, everyone was working against him. She felt such an idiot; she never thought he'd take what she'd said so easily. She'd tried to hate him, she'd tried so hard but she hadn't been able to do it, the problem had been everyone perceptions of how she'd feel and now she had to maintain that.

Erin stopped him, grabbing his hand and lacing their fingers, "But I don't hate you." She confessed, "I never said I hated you."

Vlad's eyes blackened, "You laughed when you saw I was about to be staked! What was I supposed to think?" That memory would haunt him forever.

Erin shook her head, "I was laughing at the fact you thought I was interested in power, you fought Malik because of it and I had to keep up the pretence I wanted you dead." She tipped her head; Vlad couldn't have believed she'd changed that much to only crave power. "Have you honestly ever heard me laugh like that?" Her eyebrows rose. She'd never giggled like that before in her life, she'd laughed again at the sound she'd made, at how ridiculous it had sounded to her own ears.

His brow furrowed in confusion, "Well, no… but…"

"I'm not Ingrid, I don't care about power I never have. I care about you, you don't trust me though and you need to trust me now more than ever."

He shook his head; she'd not given him any reason to trust her in the last day or so. "Why should I trust you?"

Erin looked at him, "Trust me to know what I'm doing."

Vlad stood sharply, yanking his hand from hers. "How can I trust you? You kissed Malik in front of me!"

"You turned me Vlad and you know Malik kissed me." She'd scrubbed her mouth after that, she'd stood still, she'd grabbed him but that was more instinct to push him from her but he'd acted first. It wasn't at all like Vlad. "There's a reason I'm on his side!" Erin snapped at him.

"Because he's a real vampire?" Vlad asked sarcastically.

That comment tipped Erin over the edge.

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Erin grabbed him and pushed him against the wall, her strength now matching his being his First Bite. Vlad grimaced at the feeling of the wood digging into his back. Erin had never been this physical with him before.

It was time to come clean with him.

Her fangs were lowered and Vlad found them enticing, he never thought he'd think that. "Ingrid will want me on her side; I have powers that equal yours. Think it through vampire." She snarled at him. Her insult was harsh as she said it.

Vlad blinked slowly, "She wants to slay me and you're the only person who can."

It was the entire reason Adze had wanted his first bite; his powers could never be shared again. Erin was the only person who could have them. She didn't want them but now she had them she was determined to use them for helping Vlad not going against him. She wanted Ingrid to train her so she knew what to do, Ingrid would train her in such a way to tap into powers that her brother would never have dreamed how to. Although zoning had come as a surprise to all of them.

Erin nodded slowly, he understood. He tipped his head backwards and she saw the tears down his cheeks. Silver trails that glistened in the light. She felt guilty for doing this to him, if she'd never have left to give him to Adze none of this would have happened.

She should have had faith in them.

They were both to blame for becoming a half fang, not just Vlad.

"I need her to trust me and the best way to do that is turn against you." At least act like she had. She paused, looking away. "While I'm angry with you I don't hate you, you're just not my most favourite person at the moment." She told him as a matter of fact.

He was not entirely serious as he asked: "Who is?"

"Wolfie." She joked weakly. She became serious, "If I didn't love you do you still think I would let Ingrid manipulate me like this? I'm not stupid Vlad even if I am… was a slayer."

Vlad moved towards her, he gently touched her arm; she didn't pull away like he'd expected her to. "I never said that, you've never been stupid to me. I still love you, you're beautiful like this, not that you weren't before," He added hastily, "This way you're my equal in every sense. I swear I never once thought about biting you until you were dying."

She knew that tone anywhere, her lover wasn't a very good liar and he never had been. His tone would've taken her breath away if she was still mortal. "I believe you."

"So…" He questioned slowly, "There's no hope for us now is there?" He nodded in finality; he'd taken the steps that ended their relationship once and for all.

She shook her head, disagreeing with him, "Maybe there still is." Erin gave him a tender look, "We hate each other around Ingrid and the others." Erin whispered, confidence building in her. The bite had given her that, then she grabbed his jacket pulling him closer and slipping her hands underneath his shirt feeling the soft skin there as she'd done so many times before. "Alone… we figure us out."

There were problems with that in itself. Vlad caught her fingers, pulling them out and kissing them lightly so he didn't get distracted. "Erin…"

"Vlad trust me, I'm bound to you as your First Bite. You cursed me but gave me a gift, one that can help keep you safe. I'm not throwing us away; we just have to hide for a little while."

"I don't know if I can." He answered.

"Me neither," She whispered.

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Vlad spun and pushed Erin against the wall, pressing into her. It felt different with her being a vampire, the sparks that had been there before when they touched now raced over their skin like flames. Her back arched against him as he tilted her face upwards, trying to get as much contact as possible.

Erin nipped at his lip, her fangs lowering as she did so. She was trying to deepen the kiss, inadvertently biting him.

Vlad pulled back with a wince pressing his fingers to his stinging lips, she hadn't broken the skin luckily. She gave him a nervous smile, "Sorry." Now she realised the restraint he'd been forced to show as a vampire.

"You're just trying to bite me." He grinned before realising what he'd said. Erin looked away, Vlad caught her jaw. He'd thought about this ever since he'd bitten her, "I want you to mark me." He was certain of this.

"Mark you?" She whispered, she didn't understand.

He gestured to her neck, "Bite me for what I did to you."

She shook her head, she never expected him to ask that. "I can't…" She didn't trust herself, she'd never bitten anyone. "I can't bite you out of revenge…"

His eyes widened slightly, "I don't want to be bitten out of revenge." He clarified; he hadn't phrased it in the best way. "I want you to bite me to claim me as yours; I want to be your First Bite, unless you don't…" He trailed off with a shrug.

He was offering her himself as her First Bite, she couldn't believe he would do that. A vampire was offering his own neck for a half fang, a male vampire for a female half fang – in his culture it wasn't heard of. It showed her how much he loved her and how much he'd sacrificed and would sacrifice for her. Erin grabbed his shirt and kissed him, this time there was no problem in deepening the kiss as their tongues battled desperately. She shook as she pulled back, forgetting she didn't need to breathe.

There was something seductive in the way he spoke, his words were husky and emotion filled. She felt herself feeling as if she'd just been proposed to and in a way he was proposing. He was proposing that he become hers for the rest of eternity for all to see – at least once her plan had been seen through.

His eyes were filled with certainty, he wanted this.

Erin couldn't deny him this, this would strengthen their relationship. He was asking her to do to him what he'd done to her. "I can't bite your neck."

Claiming him there would make things more dangerous, he'd pulled at his shirt earlier when he'd been in so much pain – if anyone saw them before her plan was seen through they'd both be in more danger.

He tipped his head considering her words, "My collar bone then." He answered, "You did it as a mortal."

That had been once – and it had been a complete accident, it had been the only thing that had muffled her sound. She was glad she couldn't blush – at least that was one positive she'd found so far.

Erin went for a compromise, she grabbed his shirt and pulled on the buttons, they shot across the room before she pushed the shirt to one side exposing his left side of his neck. She traced her fingers where the curve of his neck met his shoulder. Vlad leaned towards her touch. He was ready for this.

"What happens if I do this?" There had to be a catch.

"I'm yours." He told her, she was supposed to be his with the bite he'd given her. "You can destroy me without any consequences if that's what you truly want." Vlad was giving her a way out if she killed him; he wanted to protect her if she murdered him. Erin shook her head and stepped back, she wrapped her arms around herself. "I want you to know I love you, it makes me yours and there won't be any more Adzes or rings or anything else. I want you to bite me and prove that I'm yours completely."

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Erin moved around him, her marks needed to be visible and they would be if she bit him from behind. She stood on her toes, trying her best to reach his shoulder.

Erin lowered her fangs nervously, she moved closer to him. "If you go faster it's easier." He muttered nervously.

"On me or you?" She muttered, this was hard for her and she realised how hard it must have been for Vlad to do it as well.

He squeezed her fingers. "Both."

Erin placed her fangs at the skin; he could feel the two sharp points. "What are you doing?" He asked seeing her pull back a few inches and then dive down. He could feel her blonde hair brushing against his neck every few seconds.

"Practising." She muttered, "I want to get it right. It won't be as neat…" She muttered, she hadn't spoken about the bite so casually before. Vlad looked at the bite he'd given her, it wasn't exactly neat either.

"When are you…"

Then he felt the pain, searing through his shoulder and neck as she sank her fangs into his skin. He let out a long hiss, he didn't shout but it was painful. The stinging sensation refused to numb, he knew this was what she was going through right now and he'd be going through it with her with his own pain.

"I thought it'd be better if you didn't know when." She muttered wiping her mouth and fangs.

He'd tensed and was growing tenser as he waited; it would hurt the same really. He brushed his fingers over the mark, it was there permanently now – it would never fade. He smiled as he felt the mark, he couldn't see it but he could definitely feel it.

Erin kissed it lightly and Vlad lifted his hand to her own marks, he hesitated before seeing her nod. He traced his fingers over them, before leaning in and kissing them in pure apology for doing this to her.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, "I'm so, so sorry." He'd been selfish when he'd done it, he knew that now but at the time he'd been blinded by grief. He should never have done this to her, all the times he'd said that he didn't want her being bitten and he'd gone and done it himself.

Erin gave him a sad smile, she was supposed to be the pessimist not him. She cupped his hand and brought his face level with hers. "I love you." She whispered to him, she did love him. That hadn't changed at all. She was just angry with him and that would take some time to fade although being able to claim him had filled her with a sense of pride, he was hers as much as she was his and no one could dispute that now.

"I love you too."

She leaned up and kissed him softly, you couldn't lie in a kiss. He would know the truth with this one – she'd made sure of it. She wrapped her arms around his neck, making sure not to touch the new bite.

Vlad opened his mouth gently caressing his tongue against hers before they began to battle for dominance. He felt her grip his hair and twist her fingers into it fiercely.

Erin tugged at his jacket pulling it from his shoulders, it bunched at the arms and Vlad moved his hands from his waist to help her before tossing it on the floor behind them. He replaced his hands, gripping her skin tightly, she reached for the belt of his jeans, it jangled as she tried to free it.

"Will this be different as a vampire?" She asked worriedly, pulling back from him.

Vlad shook his head before pausing, "Maybe a little." He wasn't sure himself but vampires were more advanced genetically than breathers so there might be a difference.

She nodded again before kissing him once more, she could live with it being a little different.

She felt his hands trail up her sides and back, along the material of her shirt. "You're not wearing black." He whispered, he'd never noticed it she had in the corridor but after that it had been grey or blue.

Erin shook her head at him. "Black doesn't suit me, it suits you." She liked seeing him in black.

He pulled her glittering blue top from her shoulder, the material ripping a fraction along the seam. He froze to look at the fragments in her shoulder. He turned away, he'd called it beautiful – then she'd hissed at him.

"I will get those out." He promised her quietly.

"Leave them." She answered, craning her neck to see the stones. He looked at her in shock, "They prove I can't be controlled by anyone. I make my own choices. No one else. Not you, Ingrid or Malik – me."

Vlad gently covered it back up before grabbing at the hem of her shirt before beginning to lift it, exposing her even paler skin.

Erin froze underneath him hearing something.

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Erin shoved Vlad backwards hard, grabbing his shirt so it bunched up around his neck as she did so, his head slammed against the wall as she twisted them around. He saw stars for a few moments. He glanced up to see why she'd done that. Then he saw Ingrid grinning at him, Malik had a slight smile but it seemed forced somehow.

Ingrid crouched down in front of him. "See what happens when you bite those you love, little brother?" Ingrid laughed, Malik draped his arm over Erin's shoulders and she flinched, he didn't seem to notice but Vlad did. "No fraternising with the enemy Erin." She told her 'pet' breather. Vlad saw the way Erin's eyes narrowed at that term.

"What do you want Ingrid?" Vlad snapped,

"Erin." She turned pointedly towards Erin, "We were trying to find you, how about a celebration?" Erin nodded mutely with a cruel smile. "Let's leave the loser to his pining."

She turned and led Erin from the room, Erin found herself being pushed along by Malik.

Erin raised her hand in a gesture for five, he knew what it meant – they were continuing this very soon. Her eyes danced as she looked at him for a split second before strutting out of the room at a more normal speed.

Vlad dropped his head down should any of them look at him, they'd think he was beating himself up, he needed them to not see the way the corner of his mouth twitch upwards.

It was going to be interesting…

Fraternising with the enemy.

THE END

_A/N: What do you think?_

_Thanks for reading._


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